Mr Chairman,
Mr Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs,
Excellencies,
Distinguished Delegates,

1. I am pleased to speak on behalf of the Group of 77 and China. At the outset, allow me, Mr Chairman, to extend our warmest congratulations to you and other members of the Bureau on your election. The Group wishes to assure you of its full cooperation and support.

2. The Group would like also to thank the Secretary-General for the reports submitted under agenda item 27, which will contribute to enrich the discussions.

Mr Chairman,

3. Sixteen years after the World Summit for Social Development held in Copenhagen, the three major pillars of the Summit, namely eradication of poverty, promotion of full employment and decent work, and social integration, remain major challenges for Governments and the UN System in spite of some progress achieved in these areas.

4. As indicated in the Secretary General's report on the "Implementation of the outcome of the World Summit for Social Development and the twenty-fourth special session of the General Assembly", the current global financial and economic crisis has proven to be a major impediment to the achievement of international agreed goals, including the Millennium Development Goals and the goals of the World Summit for Social Development. According to the report, the crisis caused the loss of 27.6 million jobs between 2007 and 2010. Moreover, in 2009 the crisis caused between 47 and 84 million additional people to remain poor or fall into poverty. The prospects for regaining lost ground on social indicators are dim, as developed economies are shifting from fiscal stimulus policies towards austerity policies, which will affect global economic growth.

5. In this adverse context, the Group of 77 and China reaffirms its commitment to the Copenhagen Declaration and Programme of Action adopted by the Summit and the further initiatives for social development adopted by the General Assembly at its twenty-fourth special session.

6. The Group emphasizes the need for a scaled-up global partnership for development, based on the recognition of national leadership and ownership of development strategies. International cooperation, -including the fulfilment of commitments on internationally agreed official development assistance, debt relief, market access, capacity-building, technology transfer and technical support-, is critical in this regard.

7. The Group of 77 and China would like to urge once again Member States to take concrete actions to remove all obstacles to the full realization of the rights of peoples living under foreign occupation, which continue to adversely affect their economic and social development.

Mr Chairman,

8. The Group welcomes the outcome document of the UN High-level Meeting on Youth: Dialogue and Mutual Understanding held on 25 and 26 July 2011 and call upon Member States, the UN system and relevant stakeholders to fully address all current challenges affecting youth.

9. In his report on the "Realization of the Millennium Development Goals and other internationally agreed development goals for persons with disabilities," the Secretary-General cited the World Report on Disability, which states that over 1 billion people currently live with some form of disability. That figure is expected to increase as the world's population is ageing at an unprecedented rate. In this regard, the Group of 77 and China is concerned that persons with disabilities are still largely invisible, and notes that the rights and concerns of persons with disabilities remain to be integrated into mainstream development processes. The high-level meeting in 2012 will provide an invaluable opportunity to consider a global strategy towards 2015 and beyond for mainstreaming disability in the development agenda.

Mr. Chairman

10. The Secretary-General's report on the follow-up of the Second World Assembly on Ageing as well as the report on the current status of the social situation, well-being, development and rights of older persons, confirm that the challenges faced by older persons, such as poverty, discrimination, abuse and lack of special mechanisms and services, keep requiring the immediate attention of the international community. The recently-established Open-ended working group on Ageing for the purpose of strengthening the protection of the human rights of older persons as well as the upcoming Review and Appraisal on the Tenth Anniversary of the adoption of the Madrid International Plan of Action in 2012-2013 offer apt opportunities for concrete progress on these issues.

11. Since the proclamation of the International Year of the Family in 1994, the international community has undertaken a range of activities and commitments in support of its objectives. The 20th anniversary of the IYF in 2014 will be an excellent occasion for Member States, the United Nations system and the civil society to further promote and implement the mandated objectives of the International Year of the Family.

Mr Chairman,

12. Following the practice of previous sessions, the Group of 77 and China will submit under this agenda item the following three draft resolutions: "Implementation of the outcome of the World Summit for Social Development and of the twenty-fourth special session of the General Assembly", "Follow-up to the Second World Assembly on Ageing" and "Preparations for and observance of the 20th anniversary of the International Year of the Family". The Group looks forward to the valuable contributions and support of all Member States.

13. In closing, the Group of 77 and China looks forward to engaging in the discussions with partners with the aim of contributing to the achievement of our mutual goals in the field of social development.

Thank you.